Mani Sandhu, 19, describes apparent hate crime attack on bus in Queens
NEW YORK - A young man beaten in a hate crime on an MTA bus spoke out Tuesday, saying he came to this country because he thought he would be safe.
The attacker is still on the loose.
"You're going to see that I have swelling on my nose, too," Mani Sandhu said.
Sandhu, 19, described the barrage of fists that pummeled him aboard an MTA shuttle bus Sunday morning. He was on his way to a Sikh temple in Queens, about to get off near Liberty Avenue and 118th Street when a stranger walked up and assaulted him, verbally first.
"Take off your mask. He said it two times. And then he said... 'We don't wear this in our America,'" Sandhu said.
A fury of punches followed, landing on Sandhu's head and neck.
The suspect, seen in surveillance photos, then exited the back door before boarding the bus again to wallop Sandhu a second time while trying to rip off his turban.
"He was punching on the back side of the neck to take off this, like that, but that didn't happen, because I was in my self-defense. And he tried to punch on my back, neck, and my nose too," Sandhu said.
Sandhu said he moved to this country 10 months ago to avoid religious violence against Sikhs in India, never thinking he would be attacked here.
"The incident happened with me makes me disappointed, and makes me like I'm not safe in this area," Sandhu said.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit is now investigating, describing the suspect as a man between 30-35 years old, and 5'9" tall.
"Most of the people come here from other countries, here for the better future," Sandhu said.
That was Sandhu's dream too, but this experience has left with with cuts, bruises, disappointment and fear.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
